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How Culture Shapes What People Want From AI

Xiao Ge, Chunchen Xu, Daigo Misaki, Hazel Rose Markus, Jeanne L Tsai

TL;DR

The paper tackles the question of how culture shapes what people want from AI, proposing a framework based on independent versus interdependent self–environment models. Using two cross-cultural online surveys with European Americans, African Americans, and Chinese participants, the study shows consistent patterns: Europeans favor control and lower capacities for AI to influence, Chinese favor connection and higher capacities, and African Americans fall between the two. These findings suggest that cultural models shape imagined human–AI interactions and the perceived capacities of AI, highlighting the need for culturally responsive AI design. The work advances HCI by offering theoretical constructs and empirical measures to incorporate culture into AI development, with implications for rethinking AI autonomy, relational design, and the global relevance of AI technologies.

Abstract

There is an urgent need to incorporate the perspectives of culturally diverse groups into AI developments. We present a novel conceptual framework for research that aims to expand, reimagine, and reground mainstream visions of AI using independent and interdependent cultural models of the self and the environment. Two survey studies support this framework and provide preliminary evidence that people apply their cultural models when imagining their ideal AI. Compared with European American respondents, Chinese respondents viewed it as less important to control AI and more important to connect with AI, and were more likely to prefer AI with capacities to influence. Reflecting both cultural models, findings from African American respondents resembled both European American and Chinese respondents. We discuss study limitations and future directions and highlight the need to develop culturally responsive and relevant AI to serve a broader segment of the world population.

How Culture Shapes What People Want From AI

TL;DR

The paper tackles the question of how culture shapes what people want from AI, proposing a framework based on independent versus interdependent self–environment models. Using two cross-cultural online surveys with European Americans, African Americans, and Chinese participants, the study shows consistent patterns: Europeans favor control and lower capacities for AI to influence, Chinese favor connection and higher capacities, and African Americans fall between the two. These findings suggest that cultural models shape imagined human–AI interactions and the perceived capacities of AI, highlighting the need for culturally responsive AI design. The work advances HCI by offering theoretical constructs and empirical measures to incorporate culture into AI development, with implications for rethinking AI autonomy, relational design, and the global relevance of AI technologies.

Abstract

There is an urgent need to incorporate the perspectives of culturally diverse groups into AI developments. We present a novel conceptual framework for research that aims to expand, reimagine, and reground mainstream visions of AI using independent and interdependent cultural models of the self and the environment. Two survey studies support this framework and provide preliminary evidence that people apply their cultural models when imagining their ideal AI. Compared with European American respondents, Chinese respondents viewed it as less important to control AI and more important to connect with AI, and were more likely to prefer AI with capacities to influence. Reflecting both cultural models, findings from African American respondents resembled both European American and Chinese respondents. We discuss study limitations and future directions and highlight the need to develop culturally responsive and relevant AI to serve a broader segment of the world population.
Paper Structure (39 sections, 7 figures, 8 tables)

This paper contains 39 sections, 7 figures, 8 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Human-Computer Interaction Research on Culture
  3. Limitations
  4. Theoretical Framework and Focus of Current Research
  5. Conception of Culture and Cultural Models
  6. Cultural Models in European American, African American, and Chinese Contexts
  7. Hypothesis Development
  8. Cultural Models Predict Ideal Human-AI Interactions
  9. Cultural Models Shape Preferences Regarding AI's Capacities to Influence
  10. Other Related Research
  11. Current Studies
  12. Pilot Study
  13. Methods
  14. Participants
  15. Procedure
  16. ...and 24 more sections

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: Proposed links between cultural models of self and the environment and ideal human-AI interaction
  • Figure 2: Purposes of pilot and main studies
  • Figure 3: The pictorial 7-pt. scale (only 1, 4 and 7 are presented for illustration purposes) used to measure the ideal level and direction of influence between the self and the environment in Pilot Study. 1 = "The environment strongly influences the person," 7 = "The person strongly influences the environment."
  • Figure 4: Cultural differences in the ideal level and direction of influence between the self and the environment in Pilot Study. Error bars represent standard errors.
  • Figure 5: Importance of having control over AI and connecting with AI in Main Study, based on a 5-pt. scale. Error bars represent standard errors.
  • ...and 2 more figures